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People watch television news showing Jang Song-thaek in court before his excution on December 12, 2013, at the rail station in Seoul on December 13, 2013. North North Korea has executed the uncle of its leader Kim Jong-un after a shock purge, state news agency KCNA announced early on December 13y, branding the once-powerful Jang Song-Thaek a "traitor."(Photo: AFP AFP/Getty Images)

In North Korea's version of the story, nope. "He was shot to death," the country's ambassador to the United Kingdom, Hyun Hak Bong, tells Sky News in what may be the first English-language interview with a top Pyongyang official, Fox News notes.

While calling on South Korea to end its military exercises and the U.S. to give up its "hostile policy," the subject of Jang Song Thaek came up. Jang was pardoned "on several occasions when he made wrong-doings in the past," but this time, his crimes went "beyond the red line," and he was executed.

"He spent 4.6 million euro in 2009 alone. He made tremendous crimes against the government, against the people, against the country," Hyun continued. "So they enlarged a meeting of the party and handed (him) over to the legal system. So the special Military Court of the Ministry of State Security put him on trial, he confessed to what he did wrong and according to article 60 of the Criminal Code of DPR Korea he was executed."

As to the report that Jang's whole family was also killed, "This is the political propaganda by our enemies," the ambassador said, but he stopped short of issuing a denial. "I know he was punished but if his family were punished or not, I don't know."

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